Amid An Egg Shortage, Chicken Coops Rise Up The Pecking Order For Homes' Must-Have Amenities

The increased price of eggs has ruffled a lot of feathers recently. As a result, savvy real estate agents are using the increase as a marketing tool. Their listings mention the latest must-have amenity for prospective homeowners—a chicken coop.

While new hardwood floors, Calacatta marble counters, chef's kitchens, and workout zones have been staples of home listings, recently, the more low-fi chicken coops have been flocking to broker websites.

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According to the listings site Homes.com, between March 2020 and last month chicken-related verbiage such as "chicken coop," "henhouse," or "chicken house" increased 78%. Bird flu outbreaks and chicken culling have seen the price of eggs soar 60.4% compared to this time last year. The average retail price for a dozen large eggs reached $6.23 in March, up from $5.90 the month before, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Rearing Chickens Costs More Than Just Feed

While the idea of rearing your own hens to have a ready supply of eggs is appealing to many, the ongoing cost of regularly cleaning the coop and buying chicken feed means that not all homeowners dream of getting back to nature and bypassing the supermarket. "There are a lot of costs that go into it: infrastructure, feeders, waterers, bedding, medical supplies, the birds themselves," New York Times writer Doug Mahoney, who owns chickens, explained. 

Once all that has been taken care of, Mahoney said, there is no guarantee that your hens will be able to lay eggs on command. They don't start laying until they are 6 months old, and seasonal molting and lack of sunlight in the fall and winter could also affect egg production. Also, once a hen reaches 3 to 4 years old, are past their prime egg-laying years.

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Urban Sales Take Off

Still, that hasn't deterred many newbie chicken farmers, especially in urban areas where interest in buying chicken coops has increased almost as dramatically as the price of eggs. 

"This year has been a banner year for chicken sales," Audrey Matson, co-owner of EggPlant Urban Farm Supply in Saint Paul, told MyVillager.com. "I think it started with a shortage of eggs. People are all about having their eggs, and think having their own chickens will save them money."

Bob Lies, Matson's husband and business partner, had another take: "Some folks are concerned about food security and want to know where their eggs come from," he told the website. "For others, it's the same reason anybody would have for a companion animal. From the pet angle, chickens are beautiful and fascinating."

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Chicken Rentals Are The New Farming Side-Hustle

While many states require strict permitting for backyard chicken coops, New York has been lenient. According to the city's health code, it remains legal to own backyard hens in all five boroughs.

The relative lack of red tape in New York chicken rearing, coupled with high egg prices, has seen rental chickens become an unlikely side hustle for chicken farmers who loan out hens along with requisite coops and equipment. It's taken off across the country, with rentals up as much as 70% this year, according to the New York Times.

"We're sold out," Joe DeFrancesco, the owner of Connecticut-based Farmer Joe's Gardens, which provides chicken rentals around much of New England , told the Times. "This is not normal. We are doing more rentals this summer than we've ever done."

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